Jesus must have laughed frequently throughout His life on earth, but we have no record of this in the Gospels. Jesus may have been laughing when He exulted in the Holy Spirit (Lk 10:21) after proclaiming that His disciples' names were written in heaven (Lk 10:20). As He rejoiced, He praised His Father for revealing to the merest children what He had hidden from the learned and the clever (Lk 10:21).
Jesus has a sense of humor different than most of us have. We rejoice and laugh for many reasons but usually not for names written in heaven and mysteries concealed from some and revealed to others. We need to "acquire a fresh, spiritual way of thinking" (Eph 4:23), to take on the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), and to have His attitude (Phil 2:5). In so doing, we will laugh when He laughs, rejoice when He rejoices, and cry when He cries.
May each of us be able to say: "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me" (Gal 2:19-20). When we sense His presence in us, we will have His sense of humor.
| PRAYER: | Father, beginning this Advent, may the old jokes turn me off and Your new life inspire me. |
| PROMISE: | "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and His delight shall be the fear of the Lord." –Is 11:2-3 |
| PRAISE: | Looking back on his sinful past, Thomas can laugh now at his foolishness and rejoice in God's incredible mercy. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College